Lyons Den Research

Leslie A. Lyons, PhD, an Assistant Professor at the School of Veterinary Medicine, at the University of California, Davis, has a special interest in pedigreed cats. She’s particularly interested in unraveling the genetics of the different “types” of cats, especially as these genes may relate to health problems. By understanding what makes a particular breed healthy (or what causes problems), responsible professionals can use this information to produce healthier kittens. Several cat breeds have interesting looks. For example, the Manx (tailless), Munchkin (short-legged/dwarf), and Scottish Fold (folded ears) have genes unique to their breed. According to Dr. Lyons, many lines of each of these breeds experience no health issues, but some lines have conditions that can be associated with the breed-defining trait. That’s why the Lyons' laboratory seeks to identify the genes. The Manx The taillessness, ear fold, and short-legged traits are not associated with gender, and only one copy of the mutation (from either the dad or mom-cat) is needed for kittens to have the trait. But having two copies (one from mom and one from dad) often leads to severe health problems in the kittens. Such Manx kittens simply die before they’re born. Breeding a fold-ear mom to a fold-ear dad produces kittens with joint problems. Breeders avoid matching short-legged Munchkin to Munchkins for fear the kittens would have severe limb or skeletal abnormalities. Most cats of these breeds are matched with a cat that does not have the trait, such as breeding a tailled to no tail, Fold to Straight-eared, or short to long legged. Dr. Lyons says these types of breedings are PERFECT for genetic studies. So if you are a breeder of one of these lovely kitties, or know a breeder, let them know how they can help the future of Manx, Munchkin and Scottish Fold cats stay healthy. Breeders first need to contact the Lyons' Den (felinegenome@ucdavis.edu) laboratory to express their interest. The laboratory will send instructions for the DNA collection, which simply consists of swabbing the inside of the cat’s mouth with a small brush provided. Note: click here to see a video of a Munchkin kitten